Tools and Resources

Notifications

Notification forms

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act)requires agencies to notify the Ombudsman of the following:

• an allocation or reallocation of a disclosure
• a decision not to allocate a disclosure
• a decision not to investigate a disclosure or not further investigate
• an extension of time to investigate a public interest disclosure (PID)
• a finalised investigation
• a stop action direction issued by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Forms are provided to facilitate these notifications and requests:

For disclosures made before 1 July 2023

• Form 1 - Notification of an allocation decision
• Form 2 – s 48 Decision not to investigate OR not further investigate under the PID Act
• Form 3 – Extension of time to investigate a PID
• Form 6 – Notification of a stop action direction

For disclosures made on or after 1 July 2023

• Form 1 – Notification of allocation or reallocation
• Form 2 – Notification of decision not to investigate or not to investigate further
• Form 3 – Extension of time to investigate a PID
• Form 4 – Notification of decision not to allocate
• Form 5 – Notification of a finalised PID investigation
• Form 6 – Notification of a stop action direction

Email completed notification forms to pid@ombudsman.gov.au

Legislation

• Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (legislation.gov.au)
• Public Interest Disclosure Amendment (Review) Standard 2023 (legislation.gov.au)

Reports

• The Ombudsman’s report into an Own Motion Investigation into compliance with the PID Act by 4 Commonwealth agencies.
• A full copy of the Ombudsman's 2021-22 Annual Report is available from our Publications page.

Guides

Please refer to the Amendments to the Act webpage for a Draft copy of the updated Agency Guide published in Chapter form.

Please note the content in this section is under construction following recent amendments to the PID Act. Information will be published when available.

Commonwealth Ombudsman guides and information sheets explain the PID scheme, set out the obligations of agencies and suggest best practice for handling public interest disclosures.

[The content is being updated and information will be published when available].

• Agency Guide to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Version 2, 2016)
• Guide to making a disclosure under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013
• Guide to assessing and managing the risk of reprisal
• Public Interest Disclosure Scheme Reference Guide - setting out key actions for officers with a role in the PID scheme
  • Printable Brochure
• Handling a PID Flowchart (A3)

Information Sheets and FAQs

Please note the content in this section is under construction following recent amendments to the PID Act. Information will be published when available.

• PID - About the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013
• PID – Key Changes to the PID Scheme
• PID - Personal work-related conduct
• PID - How to make a public interest disclosure
• PID - New responsibilities and powers of Principal Officers
• PID - New responsibilities and powers of Authorised Officers
• PID - New responsibilities and powers of Investigation Officers
• PID - Roles of the Ombudsman and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security
• PID - New responsibilities and powers of Supervisors
• PID - Managing the risk of reprisal
• PID - Frequently asked questions
• PID - Finding the right outcome
• PID - Interactions between NACC and PID
• PID - Application of reforms

PID e-learning

Please note the content in this section is under construction following recent amendments to the PID Act. Information will be published when available.

The PID e-learning module will teach you about what a PID is, how you can make one, the protections that are available to disclosers and the process of a PID investigation. The e-learning modules are currently being updated.

If your agency would like to use the PID e-learning module as a part of your educational tools, we suggest you talk to your LMS administrator to ensure the correct publishing standard of the module is selected for downloading. These e-learning modules are currently being updated.

• PIDSchemeLMSSCORM12080221.zip
• PIDSchemeLMSSCORM2004080221.zip
• PIDSchemeLMSxAPI080221.zip

PID Logo

Government agencies, Commonwealth companies and public authorities are encouraged to use the universal, easily identifiable PID icon as a link on their internal and external websites to facilitate agencies' PID policies and procedures. The graphics are available in various formats for download:

• GIF  ... [large] [medium] [small]
• PNG ... [extra-large] [large] [medium] [small]
• JPG ... [extra-large] [large] [medium] [small]
• EPS ... [extra-large]

PID Posters

Please note the content in this section is under construction following recent amendments to the PID Act. Information will be published when available.